Donald J. PRATT v. Theodore BOTULA
Civ. A. No. 69-1372
United States District Court, W. D. Pennsylvania
Dec. 16, 1969
306 F. Supp. 1363
Robert M. Kemp, Dist. Atty. of Tioga County, Wellsboro, Pa., for respondent.
MEMORANDUM AND ORDER
MARSH, Chief Judge.
The relator, Donald J. Pratt, filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus. It appears that the relator on a plea of guilty was sentenced by the Criminal Court of Tioga County, Pennsylvania, to the Allegheny County Workhouse for a term of 11 1/2 to 23 months. The relator alleges that he was not advised of his right to appeal, nor of his right to the assistance of counsel to prepare, take and perfect an appeal. According to the petition, the relator filed a petition under the Post Conviction Hearing Act in the state court in Tioga County which was denied. It does not appear that the relator has appealed to the appellate courts of Pennsylvania from the denial by the lower state court of his petition under the Post Conviction Hearing Act; hence, he has failed to exhaust his state remedies, and the petition fоr the writ in this federal court must be dismissed.
An appropriate order will be entered.
Serafim KARALEXIS et al., Plaintiffs, v. Garrett H. BYRNE, as he is the duly elected District Attorney for Suffolk County, City of Boston, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Defendant
Civ. A. No. 69-665-J
United States District Court, D. Massachusetts
Nov. 28, 1969
Stay Granted Dec. 15, 1969. See 90 S.Ct. 469.
306 F. Supp. 1363
Robert H. Quinn, Atty. Gen., Theodore Glynn, Jr., Ruth Abrams, Lawrence P. Cohen, Asst. Attys. Gen., Louis M. Nordlinger, Boston, Mass., for defendant.
Alan M. Dershowitz, Cambridge, Mass., fоr intervenor, Grove Press Inc.
Before ALDRICH, Circuit Judge, and JULIAN and PETTINE, District Judges.
ALDRICH, Circuit Judge.
This is a three-judge district court action in which a frontal attack is made upon a state obscenity statute, based upon the Court‘s recent decision in Stanley v. Georgia, 1969, 394 U.S. 557, 89 S.Ct. 1243, 22 L.Ed.2d 542. In that case the Court reversed a state conviction for possession of a concededly obscene moving picture film, found in the home of the defendant. We are asked to rule that this decision extends to a case where the possessors permitted a number of consenting adults or, more exactly, paying adult members of the public, to view their possibly obscene picture in a moving picture house.
Briefly, the facts are these. Plaintiffs Karalexis et al. are the owners and operators of a moving picture theatre which has been engaged in showing a film, owned and leased by Grove Press, Inc.,1 entitled “I Am Curious (Yellow).” The named defendant is the county district attorney who has charged plaintiffs
Defendant‘s broad motion to dismiss tests the substance of plaintiffs’ case. Our present question, however, is only whether we shall issue a temporary injunction pending final disposition, there being possible reasons to withhold the making of a final decision, which we have not yet fully explored. Alternatively, there is the question whether we should abstain altogether, without granting temporary relief. With respect to the first question the issuеs, of course, are whether there is a probability that plaintiffs will ultimately prevail, Automatic Radio Mfg. Co. v. Ford Motor Co., 1 Cir., 1968, 390 F.2d 113, cert. denied 391 U.S. 914, 88 S.Ct. 1807, 20 L.Ed.2d 653, and the adequacy of the remedy at law.
The following facts appear by stipulation of counsel or otherwise. Plaintiffs have sufficiently indicated to the viewing public the possible offensiveness of the film, so that no patron will be taken unawares and his sensibilities offended. On the other hand, the film is not advertised in any pandering manner within the stricture of Ginsburg v. United States, 1966, 383 U.S. 463, 86 S.Ct. 942, 16 L.Ed.2d 31. Finally, it is conceded that the thеatre is policed, so that no minors are permitted to enter.
For purposes of this case we assume that the film is obscene by standards currently applied by the Massachusetts courts.3 In this connection we note that the Superior Court of Massachusetts, in the recent case of Commonwealth v. Karalexis, has found that “the dominant theme of the film * * * is its appeal to prurient interest in sex * * *. [The film] is patently offensive to the average person and an affront to community standards * * *. [It] is utterly without redeeming social value.” Except insofar as it found statements in the opinion favorable to its conclusions in other respects the Superior Court disposed of Stanley v. Georgia by stating it to be “irrelevant.”
In Stanley Mr. Justice Marshall wrote the opinion of the Court in which four others joined. Mr. Justice Black concurred in the result because, in his mind, no case-by-case reasoning is needed in the area of obscenity; all is permissible.4 The remaining three justices concurred
The question is, how far does Stanley go. Is the decision to be limited to the precise problem of “mere private possession of obscene material,” 394 U.S. at 561, 89 S.Ct. at 1245; is it the high water mark of a past flood, or is it the precursor of a new one? Defendant points to the fact that the Court in Stanley stated that Roth v. United Stаtes, 1957, 354 U.S. 476, 77 S.Ct. 1304, 1 L.Ed.2d 1498, was “not impaired by today‘s holding,” and in the course of its opinion recognized the state‘s interest there upheld in prohibiting public distribution of obscenity. Yet, with due respect, Roth cannot remain intact, for the Court there had announced that “obscenity is not within the area of constitutionally protected speech or press,” 354 U.S. at 485, 77 S.Ct. at 1309,6 whereas it held that Stanley‘s interest was protected by the First Amendment, and that the fact that the film was “devoid of any ideological content” was irrelevant. 394 U.S. at 566, 89 S.Ct. at 1248.
Of greater importance, a need for affirmative proof that obscenity raises a “clear and present danger of antisocial conduct or will probably induce its recipients to such conduct,” rejected in Roth, was stated in Stanley to have been rejected in the area of “public distribution.” The obverse is apparent. Of necessity the Stanley court held that obscenity presented no clear and present danger to the adult viewer, or to the public as a result of his exposure. Obscenity may be offensive; it is not per se harmful.7 394 U.S. at 567, 89 S.Ct. at 1243. Had the Court considered obscenity harmful as such, the fact that the defendant possessed it privately in his home would have been of no consequence.
In recognizing that public distribution differed from private consumption, the Court in Stanley gave two examples. In the case of public distribution, “obscene material might fall into the hands of children * * * or * * * it might intrude upon the sensibilities or privaсy of the general public.” 394 U.S. at 567, 89 S.Ct. at 1249. To these examples, which were the extent of the Court‘s discussion, it can be said, equally with Stanley, “No such dangers are present in this case.”
We confess that no oracle speaks to Karalexis unambiguously. Nonetheless, we think it probable that Roth remains intact only with respect to public distribution in the full sense, and that restricted distribution, adequately controlled, is no longer to be condemned. It is difficult to think that if Stanley has a constitutional right to view obscene films, the Court would intend its exercise to be оnly at the expense of a criminal act on behalf of the only logical source, the professional supplier.8 A constitutional
So much for the probability of success. We do not agree with defendant‘s contention that there is no indication of irreparable injury. Even if money damages could be thought in some cases adequate compensation for delay, this defendant will presumably be immune. We agree with plaintiffs that the box office receipts, if there is a substantial delay, can be expected to be smaller. A moving picture may well be a diminishing asset.10 It has been said, also, that in assessing injury the сhilling effect upon the freedom of expression of others is to be considered. See Dombrowski v. Pfister, 1965, 380 U.S. 479, 486-489, 85 S.Ct. 1116, 14 L.Ed.2d 22.
This leads us to defendant‘s contention that we should, nevertheless, abstain until the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has considered this question, since plaintiffs can raise it in their appeal from their Superior Court convictions. However, if our interpretation of Stanley is correct, we find it difficult to think the Massachusetts statute susceptible to a construction which wоuld save it from overbroadness. Hence we must regard abstention as improper. Zwickler v. Koota, 1967, 389 U.S. 241, 88 S.Ct. 391, 19 L.Ed.2d 444. In the field where Congress has established a three-judge district court, abstention may still be warranted if there is a reasonable likelihood that the state court may construe its statute so as to avoid constitutional issues, but abstention is not appropriate simply to allow the state court to be the one to decide the statute‘s basic conflict with the federal constitution.11
We do understand, however, certain apprehensions voiced by the defendant. We note, accordingly, that this is a decision of probability, not a final holding that the Massachusetts statute is unconstitutional. Much less is it a decision that one who distributes to children, or who creates a clear public nuisance, has standing to raise the contention that the statute is overbroad.12 The preliminary
Because of the impоrtance of the matter, the injunction will not issue for one week, to permit plaintiffs to add other parties, if so advised, and to give the defendant the opportunity to apply to the Circuit Justice for a stay.
JULIAN, District Judge (dissenting).
I do not agree with the majority. The constitutionality of the Massachusetts criminal obscenity statute1 is presently being litigated in the Massachusetts Courts. Pending final adjudication by the Supreme Judicial Court of the plaintiffs’ appeal from their conviction in the Superior Court for violating that statute, this Court should abstain from taking further action in this case and should not interfere with the enforcement of the statute by the Commonwealth by enjoining its public officials from prosecuting the plaintiffs for additional violations of the statute should they persist in exhibiting the film while their conviction still stands.
It is my understanding that for the purpose of deciding the questions presently before us the Court assumes that the film involved in this litigation is in fact obscene within the meaning of the law. In fаct, no evidence has been taken and no finding made on this issue by this Court. The Superior Court has found the film to be obscene.
The plaintiffs’ reliance on Stanley v. Georgia, 394 U.S. 557, 89 S.Ct. 1243, 22 L.Ed.2d 542 (1969), is untenable. The case before us is governed by Roth v. United States, 354 U.S. 476, 77 S.Ct. 1304, 1 L.Ed.2d 1498 (1957). The precise issue in Roth was the constitutionality under the First Amendment of two criminal obscenity statutes. One was a Federal statute (
The Massachusetts statute before us is essentially the same as the two statutes upheld in Roth in that all three make the public distribution of obscene matter a criminal offense. This being so, it must follow as a matter of elementary logic that the Massachusetts statute is also constitutional.
The holding in Roth is still the law and is binding upon this Court. It has not been ovеrruled by Stanley or any other case.
In Stanley the appellant was indicted, tried and convicted for “knowingly hav[ing] possession of * * * obscene matter” in violation of a Georgia statute. The Georgia Supreme Court, 224 Ga. 259, 161 S.E.2d 309, affirmed, holding it “not essential to an indictment charging one with possession of obscene matter that it be alleged that such possession was with
The Court notes (394 U.S. p. 559, 89 S.Ct. p. 1245) that the Georgia statute extended “further than the typical stаtute forbidding commercial sales of obscene material.” It also notes (p. 559, 89 S.Ct. p. 1245) that the “State and appellant both agree that the question here before us is whether ‘a statute imposing criminal sanctions upon the mere [knowing] possession of obscene matter’ is constitutional.” The Court points out (pp. 560-561, 89 S.Ct. p. 1246) that neither Roth nor any subsequent decision dealt with that question but “dealt with the power of the State and Federal Governments to prohibit or regulate certain public actions taken or intended to be taken with respect to obscene matter.” (Emphasis supplied.)
And again at p. 567, 89 S.Ct. at p. 1249: “But that case [Roth] dealt with public distribution of obscene materials and such distribution is subject to different objections.” In note 10 on the same page the Court makes reference to the Model Penal Code § 251.4 (American Law Institute, Proposed Official Draft, 1962) which would also make commercial dissemination of obscene matter a criminal offense. The Court cоncludes by stating (p. 568, 89 S.Ct. p. 1250):
“We hold that the First and Fourteenth Amendments prohibit making mere private possession of obscene material a crime. Roth and the cases following that decision are not impaired by today‘s holding. As we have said, the States retain broad power to regulate obscenity; that power simply does not extend to mere possession by the individual in the privacy of his own home.”
Thus the Supreme Court itself has declared in clear, unambiguous language thаt the holding in Roth has not been overruled by the decision in Stanley and is still the law.
Accordingly, on the authority of Roth, I would reject as wholly unjustified the plaintiffs’ contention that the Massachusetts obscenity statute is unconstitutional on its face.
On the question of abstention the pertinent cases are Dombrowski v. Pfister, 1965, 380 U.S. 479, 85 S.Ct. 1116, 14 L.Ed.2d 22,2 and Zwickler v. Koota, 1967, 389 U.S. 241, 88 S.Ct. 391, 19 L.Ed. 2d 444.3 In both those cases the statutes under attack were held to be overbroad and susceptible of sweeping and improper application and therefore justifiably attacked on their face as abridging expression protected by the First Amendment. Additionally, though threatened with proseсution, the petitioner in neither case was then in fact being prosecuted for violating the challenged statute and consequently its constitutionality was not being litigated in the State court. In Dombrowski there was the added element of bad faith on the part of the State prosecutor, an element certainly not present here. The Court accordingly held that abstention was not appropriate. Since the Massachusetts statute is not being justifiably attacked оn its face as abridging free expression and since the case in the Massachusetts Court has been tried and decided and is now on appeal, it seems to me especially appropriate for this Court to abstain from proceeding to a declaratory adjudication of the constitutionality of the statute until the Supreme Judicial Court shall have heard and decided the
No injunction should issue against the defendant district attorney. He should be left free to prosecute these plaintiffs should they resume the exhibition of the film while their conviction in the Superior Court remains outstanding and their appeals pending.
The plaintiffs have failed to show the existence of the requisite grounds that would justify the issuance of a preliminary injunction:
(1) Since the statute is not unconstitutional on its face and the film is assumed by the Court to be obscene,4 and has been found to be obscene by the Superior Court, the plaintiffs have failed to establish the probability that they will ultimately prevail in this litigation.
(2) There is no evidence before us that plaintiffs will suffer irreparable injury if they are prevented from showing the film until final disposition of their appeal. There has been no showing of the extent of the monetary loss, if any, that they will suffer if they are not allowed to show the film. We should not concern ourselves with the diminution in the value of the film if its showing is delayed for a substantial period of time. The film is not owned by the plaintiffs, but by Grove Press, Inc.,5 which is not a party to this litigation. Furthermore, there is no evidence of the economic value of the film.
(3) The mere possibility that plaintiffs may be deprived of a constitutional right pending final determination of this case does not amount to the irreparable injury necessary to justify the issuance of the injunction.
Thus, in Dombrowski v. Pfister, 380 U.S. 479, 484-485, 85 S.Ct. 1116, 14 L.Ed.2d 22, the Court states:
“[T]he Court has recognized that federal interference with a State‘s good-faith administration of its criminal laws is peculiarly inconsistent with our federal framework. It is generally to be assumed that state courts and prosecutors will observe constitutional limitations as expounded by this Court, and that the mere possibility of erroneous initial application of constitutional standards will usually not amount to the irreparable injury necessary to justify a disruption of orderly state proceedings.”
What the mаjority of this Court is doing today is without precedent. It is declaring that the public, commercialized dissemination of obscene matter to adults, regardless of how lewd and degenerate it may be, is protected expression under the First Amendment. I have found no authority for this proposition either in decided cases or in legislative enactments. On the contrary numerous statutes, both Federal and State, and a multitude of cases decided by the Supreme Court of the United States6 and by other courts, Federal and State, have consistently denounced and punished as criminal the public, commercialized dissemination of obscene matter.
In my opinion the position taken by the majority of this Court is legally unsound and inimical to the public interest. I must therefore dissent.